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For the Newman faction, this past week picked up where it left off the Friday before, with Nikki stumbling down the sand still screeching Victor's name.

Well, even though I had a pretty good idea of what was coming, by the time this short week came to a close, I admit I was a little bit dissatisfied at the turn of some of the events.

For the Newman faction, the current week picked up where it left off the Friday before, with Nikki stumbling down the sand still screeching Victor's name. I really tried hard to feel her pain, to believe in the deep and allegedly abiding love she claimed to harbour for Victor. Melody Thomas Scott has proven she's not an actress afraid to wipe off the foundation, forgo the lip stain and eye enhancements and tug on a pair of denims. So, distraught and dishevelled, she certainly looked the part of a woman undone. But still, I was left largely unmoved by her emotional display. And all of that grovelling at Victor's feet, begging and pleading with him while he roughly manhandled her, treating her to verbal abuse that was unprecedented, even for such a mean-spirited man as the one Victor has become, didn't help, in fact left me more appalled than enthralled. In theory, I get what was supposed to be gotten. Nikki is filled with guilt for the small part she played in the dreadful melodrama that resulted in the ending of Sabrina and her unborn baby's life. But the rest of it, all that shrieking about her immense love for Victor, now that wasn't nearly so easy to swallow. Of course she loves Victor now. Now that David's been proven to have possessed a pair of size 12 clay feet, of course she wishes she had left Victor perched on the pedestal instead of toppling him to erect David in his place. But where were the earlier indications of that longing for Victor? I don't recall spotting a single lovelorn look, a sole grimace of regret for what she no longer had. All I remember was dislike, disgust, and increasingly strident shrieks of leave me alone. So it's no wonder it's now extremely difficult for me to immediately leap aboard her bandwagon. And I'm not surprised Victor refused to heed her plaintive pleas. Clearly he is an embittered man in no mood right now to forgive and forget and let bygones be bygones.

I knew Adam was going to pay dearly for his ill-advised decisions, both business and personal, but what turned me off this particular part of the storyline was the balance or should I say lack thereof. Yes, Adam made some regrettable decisions much too quickly, even though he had no clue Daddy was going to climb out of his watery grave and come squelching back onto the Newman grounds wearing his Grinch Who Stole Christmas countenance. Dumb doesn't even begin to describe Adam's decision to bring Bradley aboard the Newman barge. Like I said last week, of course, he wouldn't be inclined to keep Neil around. Would any employer with a working brain cell want to keep someone around who has clearly shown he would have no compunction about stabbing you in the back? Would Victor? That's not to imply of course that Adam was right to so precipitously terminate Neil or to so quickly hire Brad. And naturally, firing his half-sis, no matter how sweet the taste of the words would have been on the tip of his tongue, was not the most prudent decision he could have made.

But getting back to the balance. So what Adam put the darn dog in the kennel? Or as Estella phrased it, with great relish, I might add as she put the worst possible spin on things, banished him. Clearly, she has no love for the Newman son who came in and started bossing her about. Yes, he was Victor's dog, but Victor was supposedly gone. And it's not as if I recall seeing much of Zapato anyway once Sabrina entered the scene. It's not as if Adam had the dog put to sleep.

Likewise, I understand that for whatever reason Michael seemingly can't stand Adam either. The reason for this apparent dislike has never really been explained and kind of came out of nowhere. Last we saw them, they were functioning together as an amicable team fighting the patent infringement lawsuit against Jabot. Then Victor got his knickers in a knot over Nick and Victoria's transgressions against him and out of the Will they went and into the Will went Adam. Victor's vindictiveness wasn't Adam's fault.

I couldn't help but notice when Michael was carrying his Adam tales to Victor, he hurried to tell how Adam fired Neil and Victoria, but failed to mention any of the events that lead up to that. I put my ear right next to the speaker on my TV and I never heard so much as a mumble about how he stood with Victoria and her security detail to have Adam forced off the ranch. Or how Victoria thoroughly enjoyed undoing as much as she could of what Adam had done since she voluntarily left the Company, even undoing some of what was done by Daddy. Nor did Michael mention the mutiny in the ranks lead by Neil. By the way, not trying to say Neil was in the wrong, just that my mother always said if you're going to tell, tell it all. Yes, Adam acted like a tyrannical despot, shouting off with their heads to everyone without a proper period of mourning. But it wasn't as if there was absolutely no rhyme nor reason for his actions.

And then there was that other comment by Michael. The part about Victoria and Nick busily coordinating the search for Victor, while Adam was taking over. Well, I was watching then. The Newmans, as has been the case since Adam arrived, made it clear, his presence or participation wasn't wanted or needed and if he insisted on behaving as if his veins carried Newman blood too, he was clearly going to be met with a frosty rebuff and closed ranks resistance. He may have been a partial Newman, but as far as they were concerned, his blood was contaminated by Hope's DNA and not nearly as good as the blood mixed with Nikki's.

Then there were those lame letters. Filled with praise and loving prose for Nick and Victoria and empty platitudes for the son he abandoned. You are everything that is good in me, he told Victoria; charity, love, and blah and blah. I live for your smile. You were the only one I never wanted to disappoint. Oh baloney. I don't care what Victor said. I'm not saying she doesn't have that in her, but Victoria can also be a contrary, vindictive, hateful broad whose bite will draw blood and require extensive bandaging.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Adam doesn't deserve some punishment. He acted arrogantly, precipitously and I guess according to Victor, is apparently a disrespectful disgrace to the tarnished Newman name. In fact, I will concede there wasn't much Adam did right in Victor's brief absence. To anyone peeking in from the outside, Adam probably would seem to be all about the money and none about the love. But there was a bit more to him than that. He's definitely a stiff and somewhat abrasive one, but there were a few glimpses of his humanity. He genuinely seemed to care about Sabrina and his slowly growing fondness for Victor, though still guarded, was at least believable.

Victor did get one thing right though. Whether it's because of his unfortunate motherless, fatherless childhood, or something else entirely, he really has no clue about being a father despite the decades he's had to learn to do better. I guess it really is impossible to teach an evil old dog any new tricks. Perhaps Hope really did know best when she decided not to corrupt her son with too close of an association with his father. And given the current situation, maybe she should have carried the baby daddy secret with her to the hereafter. Because after thrusting himself into Adam's life, alternately waving bunches of bright orange carrots and rubber-banded stacks of Newman cash under the boy's nose, Adam finally couldn't resist the enticements. But now that he's failed to meet the stringent requirements in Victor's mind, he tosses his own son on the trash heap like so much garbage.

Yes, in a sense he did something similar to Nick and Victoria, but it seems so much more harsh given the fact that both Nick and Victoria not only have each other's shoulder to cry on, but also have families of their own, as well as a living, breathing, doting Mother to lean on, while all Adam has is a hateful, bitter former father and half-siblings who would probably draw straws to be the first to get to do a whirling, twirling jig of joy on his grave. Speaking of whirling, after Victor's unconscionable treatment of her beloved boy, I bet Hope is probably doing some underground spinning of her own.

When I wasn't being infuriated by Victor or raising an astonished eyebrow at Nikki's blubbering, rather humiliating, performance, I was throwing soft objects with unerring accuracy at Chloe's manipulative mug. One thing I can say about these scribes. They might not always write the storylines to the complete satisfaction of me or some of my fellow fans, but they certainly know how to bring out the rabid hatred at the very sight of a certain scandalous schemer.

I'm not sure what I was meant to feel at the unveiling of Chloe's back story, but if it was sympathy or empathy, well, the scribes didn't even come close to hitting the mark for me. In fact, the more I saw and heard, the more ardently I detested this woman. Here she has the big brass ones to turn up her nose at Esther's honest, though in her mind, lowly labor, yet she is just about the most despicable character in town.

Like David Chow, lies fall far too freely from this lady lizard's lips with not even a telltale twitch of remorse or so much as a half-shiver of shame at her purposeful ruination of so many lives. As fan Jemelehill below says, this one would be bearable if there was some chance Cane was the father, or if Chloe mistakenly believed him to be so. But the coldblooded and methodical manner in which this feral feline has gone about the business of trapping and caging her man beast is not at all fun to watch and impossible to root for. When she looks at Cane, there's not love in her eyes, just a cold calculation and a determination to divide and conquer. I hate how she uses the babe in her belly like a weapon, even pretending near miscarriage, if that's what it takes to get what she wants. I could easily see her losing the baby, then pulling a Sheila and walking around with a fake belly until she figures out how to steal another one. And her scorn extends to everyone, including the mother who bore her calculating carcass as well as the Godmother whose money provided her privileged education. Seeing Chloe's horrified face at the sight of her French maid uniform wearing mother in the middle of Crimson Lights was one of the funnier moments of the week. Less so was the disrespectful way she ordered Esther to clean and press her clothes, however. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't even begin to describe how much I'm looking forward to the day little Miss Chloe gets exactly what's coming to her.

Between the two main stories, RSM provided some filler moments. Nick will likely benefit from one of Adam's final NE decisions, to reinstate the Newman ads in RSM, even though he isn't likely to show his brother any appreciation. As for Jack, Genoa City has again coughed up another victim, this time a willing one, for him to slash to slivers in RSM's monthly expose. But with Adam now stripped of his position, ejected from the estate and if Victor could have figured out a way to drain every drop of Newman blood from the boy he would have, the article will be obsolete before it even goes to press.

So, what is to become of Adam? Will he be invited to board the Jabot express now that he's been booted unceremoniously off the Newman train? And what of Brad? There's nothing left of the Jabot bridge he burned but smoking bits of wood. So to whom will he turn to draw a paycheck? I'm sure if Nikki insisted on working for a living, her son could surely find a slot for her at RSM, but I doubt Nikki will be seeking a paying position. She'll probably be too busy training for her new career as an official off the wagon drunkard, at least until Victor decides to reach down to yank her to her feet and steer her back into sobriety.

And then there is Heather. I bet she's getting mighty weary of packing and unpacking her bags. Maybe she should just move in with Papa until things settle down. Besides, she may need his fatherly protection if she continues to appear on Adam's arm. Because stripping him of everything is not likely to be enough for Victor, and Heather could easily become a casualty. Especially if Adam is foolhardy enough to team up with Jack to go against Victor.

Well, it will be interesting to see what the coming week has in store for those who have yet to have their audience with the great and furious Oz. I hope Nick and Victoria don't go by some of those warm and fuzzy sentences in their beyond the grave letters and think they will be greeted with open arms of love. Sure, obviously they will fare better than their now disowned half-sibling, but I'm guessing Victor the Vindictive will still feel the need to draw a little blood from them.

And now that Chloe has decided to leave Cane to stew in his rage alone, there should also be a few amusing moments as Chloe rides roughshod over the ladies at Chancellor's. Using that baby like a battering ram, I'm guessing by the time Chloe gets through with her, Jill will regret that she was so lightning quick to convince her boy to rush Chloe to the altar. Actually, Jill has been such a hateful old hen lately, it's rather delicious to think of her stuck with both Chloe and Esther, while having to listen to Kay's unsolicited advice and muttered remember-whens.

Lastly, what was with all the woman-handling this week? Victor was snatching Nikki to and fro, while his namesake was yanking Heather back and forth. And while Cane didn't lay a finger on his manipulative Mrs., he's certainly abusing her to the best of his verbal ability. Not that she doesn't deserve every harsh word he hurls at her, but still.

* * * * * * *

Sally - I am getting tired of Victor's disappearance storylines. Here's a novel idea for the writers: Why not have Victor simply go on vacation a few weeks each year? Would be much better than these redundant disappearances!

Catherine - I don't understand why the writer's couldn't let Cane and Lily be the happy couple that they were? And Adam! Can you have Victoria slap him again? He needs to be put in his place. His actions are the biggest betrayal to Victor, far more than Nick and Victoria's behavior. Hiring Brad as CEO, having his girlfriend move into his house, firing Neil. As much as I like the character of Victor, please allow him to show some compassion for his family. He can still be this powerful man, but with a heart.

Judy - I cannot believe how gullible Cane is! If he were so drunk he couldn't remember whether or not he got Chloe pregnant, has anyone figured out how he managed to step up to the plate and get her pregnant in his drunken condition?

Myrna - I am still livid with the killing off of Sabrina. The writers blew multiple storylines for the future concerning Sabrina and her and Victor's baby. What a waste! Whichever writer came up with this storyline needs to have his head examined. I am not impressed with the new head writer from Days. His storylines on that show are what made me stop watching it.

Peggy - Get rid of Chloe. I have stopped watching Y&R, only come to your site to see if you have fixed the Chloe problem. Lily is crazy for giving up her man so easily and Cane is crazy because no man in his right mine would deal with that nut Chloe.

Netta - The Adam and Chloe storylines are terrible. I can't wait until Victor returns and knocks Adam off his throne. As for Chloe, she needs to go back under the rock from which she came. Please fix your storylines before I stop watching.

Rebecca - I wish they'd do something with Paul and Nikki. I also wish Jack would give up on getting even with the Newmans.

Pat - I think that was a very good twist revealing who Chloe really is. If the writers get this one right, it will make for some interesting viewing. I am so glad they didn't drag out Victor's return. I cannot wait for him to bring Adam down a peg!

Kamal - Bonehead is the exact word to describe Adam. I chuckled when he fired Neil despite it being a bonehead move. I laughed ferociously when he fired Victoria because she oh so richly deserved it for the way she was throwing her weight as CEO around. But I can't get with hiring Brad as CEO or even inviting Heather to stay at the ranch so quickly. Adam really does lack tact and people skills and has gotten way too big for his britches. I've been in his corner in his war against the Bratty One but he's totally shot himself in the foot. He'll learn a hard lesson when Victor returns and he will definitely deserve it. I just hope Victor doesn't give Victoria the time of day either because her behavior wasn't totally for the best of NE.

Chris - The storyline involving Cane and Chloe is great. I hope the baby ends up being Cane's. Lily is so fake and perfect its almost disgusting. As for Adam, he's just defending himself against Victoria and Nick. Since when did they become little angels?

Frieda - When Victor showed up at the ranch, it was worth enduring all the asinine drivel we've had to put up with lately. I hollered! Is there a rumor about Adam leaving the show? Because I got the feeling Victor was going to murder him! Can't wait to see what happens next, and that's how a soap is supposed to leave you, wanting more and not just on Friday, and not getting blisters on your thumbs from ff-warding through scenes with Chloe, Ana, Amber, etc.

Sandra - When will Y&R deal will the real paternity of Summer? When the DNA test was taken, it left the viewers with the thought that Summer could be Jack's. When Summer got sick that could have been played up some more.

Becki - I would love to see Nikki, Victor, Nick and Victoria back as a loving family. Adam should get his. I don't like the Chloe storyline. It was dumb for Cane to marry someone he did not love, baby or not.

Nicole - I can't feel sorry for Chloe or Kate or whatever she'll call herself next once she's found out. She stalked Cane, changed the date of the first sonogram, duped Cane (the moron) and snagged him into marriage. I doubt she cares about the baby. The baby is a means to an end. The baby gives her the life she's always wanted, so Jill (much to my regret) has a part of Chloe's reasons for picking Cane. Chloe wanted someone who wouldn't just leave her in her lurch and Cane had perfect victim stamped right on his forehead. I feel bad for Lily; she finds someone who is so sweet to her and he turns out to lack two brain cells that he can rub together to form a thought much less connect two and two together to get the idea that he isn't the father and yet again Chloe/Kate lied. I would love to see Billy blow into town, fall for Lily and have Cane watch from afar gnawing at the bit. I can't wait for Chloe/Kate to be exposed. I honestly hope the daddy won't be Billy but some sort of shock. Chloe/Kate should lose that ticket to the mansion she so craves, it's what she deserves after all her scheming and lying. Cane deserves to have to work is butt off to win Lily back and get some intelligence along the way.

KL - If this s/l containing Lily, Cane and Chloe is the writers idea of romance then they have no idea what viewers want to see. Because, so far, all I've seen is the very obvious propping of a new character at the expense of what was Y&R's newest romantic couple goldmine. But hey, if the character of Chloe needs that much propping to stand up, best to give the job to your voted #1 favorite actor, actress and couple. What a waste, because I was really enjoying the relationship between Lily and Cane.

Linda - I am amazed at the fact that people are surprised at the writing on the show. The loyalty and love is now missing from writing. I know the characters are make believe but at least the writers did not write outlandish storylines. I fear the days of the soaps are coming to an end.

Susan - Y&R is getting sad. Victor would never have fallen for Sabrina so fast, they had no chemistry. Thank you for ending that scene. Now you have Chloe and Cane. Are the people around Cane so stupid not to know that Chloe could have fudged the results and ultrasound? Will this babe end up being Billy's? I hope so. It would be a wonderful twist, still leaving Jill with Chloe. And Victor bring out the ruthlessness, let's have some grit. The only unexpected turn of events in the longest time was finding out Chloe was Kate. Otherwise very dull, and predictable!

Delores - I really don't like Chloe with Cane. Perhaps she could fall down the Chancellor's stairs and lose the baby. Cane needs to annul that marriage immediately. He doesn't need a slut like Chloe. He needs to wake up and not be so naive. DNA did not come from the baby; it said he was in the group. How dumb can he be?

Jemelehill - I see I'm not the only one disgusted with the current crop of storylines, particularly concerning Chloe, Cane, et al. Even for a soap opera, it's absurd. Longtime viewers have dealt with scheming women, switched DNA tests - the Ashley-Abby-Victor dynamic comes to mind - but there was no imagination or creativity whatsoever put into this Chloe-Cane-Lily love triangle. There is just no earthly reason a rich, powerful man like Cane would marry a woman he didn't love. And there is no earthly reason a woman in love would co-sign her man marrying another woman. The logic there made no sense. I could almost get it if it were older characters, but no man or woman Cane and Lily's age would feel as if there was an obligation to marry a scheming, conniving, bitch of a baby mother. To be honest, it would have been a better storyline if Cane really had slept with Chloe. Then the situation would be complex and interesting. I refuse to follow the Cane-Chloe-Lily storyline anymore. It's dreadful. Hope the writers get attacked by some common sense.

Two Scoops is an opinion column. The views expressed are not designed to be indicative of the opinions of soapcentral.com or its advertisers. The Two Scoops section allows our Scoop staff to discuss what might happen, what has happened, and to take a look at the logistics of it all. They stand by their opinions and do not expect others to share the same view point.